Respect
by MrsWhitlock143
Summary: LJ has been acting out, disrespecting and disobeying Michael more and more... Lincoln finally demands that Michael take up the full role of LJ's uncle and put an end to the rude behaviour. Warning: Spanking.
1. Chapter 1

Lincoln sighed, running a hand across his tired eyes. He paused at the door of his flat, not looking forward to entering. He could hear the argument coming from within since he had been at the end of the hallway, and he definitely did not want to deal with it. Not today. But he knew he had to, or it would just keep escalating.

Lincoln didn't understand why Michael had no control over LJ. He was the boy's uncle, for crying out loud! Lincoln knew his son loved Michael to death, and they could have some serious fun together, but when the time came for Michael to be the adult, LJ never seemed to respect him.

 _Time to put an end to this._ Lincoln thought, becoming determined. Things weren't going to be pretty, of that much he was certain. But he had to dissuade the situation before it got even further out of hand.

Lincoln threw open the door, his sudden entrance shocking Michael and LJ into silence as they watched him. Lincoln entered slowly, shutting the door behind him, but keeping his eyes on his son the entire time. LJ swallowed nervously and averted his gaze, but Michael spoke out innocently.

"Are you okay, Linc?"

Lincoln answered without taking his eyes off of LJ. "I'm fine, Mike. Can you say the same about you and LJ?"

"Well, technically -"

"Michael."

Michael sighed and looked away. "No, not really. I guess you could hear from outside, huh?"

Lincoln nodded. He remained silent for a few moments, creating further tension in the room's atmosphere. He finally tore his gaze away from his squirming son and looked at his little -well, not so little anymore -brother. "What's the argument about this time, Michael?"

" Long story short? I told LJ he couldn't play video games until he cleaned his room and he started bitching at me."

LJ spoke up at this. "Dad, that is so not true!" He squawked.

"Are you kidding me? You -" Michael began, but stopped when Lincoln raised his hand in a halting manner.

"Michael, you're the adult here. Don't argue back. You're being childish." He scolded briefly before redirecting his attention to his son once more. "Tell me, LJ. If Mike's wrong, then what really happened?" After a beat of silence, Lincoln pressed again. "LJ?"

LJ glanced at the floor while he spoke, the nervousness seeping through his voice as he attempted to lie through his teeth. "Uncle Mike was being a tyrant -he wouldn't let me do anything until I did a bunch of chores and even then he wouldn't let me have any fun! He was being a real dick, Dad, and -"

"Excuse me?!" Michael screeched, clearly offended, just as Lincoln yelled out "LJ!"

Lincoln counted to ten in his head, trying to calm himself down. He had no doubt that LJ was over-exaggerating; he always did when he tried to get out of trouble. He was also pretty incredulous that his son would think to tell such a bold-faced lie about his uncle with Michael standing not ten feet away from him.

Once he was calm enough, Lincoln spoke again. "First of all, young man, I do not want to hear that sort of language come out of your mouth again, especially when you're referring to your uncle. Am I being clear?" He waited for LJ's reluctant nod before he continued. "Secondly, I know very well that Michael wouldn't treat you in the way you just described, so why bother even trying to lie to me? Hm?"

LJ remained silent, his gaze locked on his shoes. He took a shaky breath and opened his mouth to respond, but after closed it again before he could say anything. Lincoln half growled in frustration before turning to Michael.

"Start from the beginning, Mike. Please."

Michael eyed LJ for another moment before turning to face his brother. "Gladly."

"Well," he began, "I walked into LJ's room and noticed it was in complete disarray, so I asked him to clean it. He blatantly ignored what I was asking him to do and continued about his day. I figured he would get to it eventually, though, so I left him alone for a while.

"A bit later, I caught him connecting his video game console to the TV in the living room, which would have been fine except he hadn't cleaned his room like I 'd asked him to. So, I disconnected the console and told him to go do it and then he'd be allowed to play his games. That's when the fight started.

"LJ started ranting about how he didn't have to do what I said, that I wasn't the boss of him, that I could shove my orders up my ass, etc. In conclusion, he wasn't gonna clean his room. So, naturally, I tried to step up as the adult and I told him he was grounded for the weekend, and during that time, he'd have to complete extra chores around the house, cleaning his room being number one on that list.

"He refused. The argument continued to escalate. Then, you walked in." Michael finished, sounding tired just by retelling the day's events. Lincoln shook his head as though he couldn't believe what Michael was telling him, although he knew very well that his brother had no reason to lie about his kid's behaviour. He turned to LJ, put his hands on his hips, and addressed him sternly.

"Is what your uncle just said true, LJ? Is that what happened today?"

After a long, tense moment, LJ finally nodded his agreement. Lincoln shook his head, disappointed this time.

"Come here, LJ."

The teen looked up nervously at his dad, glancing at Michael briefly, and then back at his dad. He was unsure whether approaching Lincoln or not was actually the best course of action, but he figured not doing so would get him in further trouble. So, slowly but surely, he made his way over until he was standing in front of Lincoln, just out of arm's reach.

Lincoln's expression was unreadable as he glared down at his son. However, when he opened his mouth, he spoke with such firmness that LJ's stomach did somersaults.

"I expect so much better from you, young man. You know better than to disregard and disrespect your uncle the way you've been doing. LJ, look at me when I'm speaking to you!" He grabbed the young boy's chin and raised his head to meet his eyes. "What has gotten into you, LJ? Why are you being such a pain to Michael? Why couldn't you just do as he asked and cleaned your room the first time instead of misbehaving and causing so much trouble? Huh? Answer me." He insisted when his boy seemed intent on remaining silent.

"I-" LJ's voice cracked, his nerve faltering. "I don't know, Dad... I'm sorry." He whispered, regretting his actions now that his father was, not only involved but disappointed. Lincoln released his son's chin and shook his head.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." He gestured at Michael and waited.

LJ turned slowly in the general direction of Michael and muttered a half-hearted apology, spiking Lincoln's anger. He grabbed LJ's arm and turned him towards him roughly.

"Listen here, Lincoln Burrows Jr," he growled. "Michael is your uncle and you will respect and obey him. Now, you are going to go clean your room like he told you, you will be grounded for the weekend like he said you would be -extra chores and all included -and you are going to apologize like you mean it. While you're cleaning your room, I'm going to have a word with Michael and see if he doesn't think you deserve to have another punishment for being so incredibly rude and disobedient. Do you understand me?" He shook LJ slightly.

LJ's eyes welled up with tears, knowing exactly what "other" punishment his dad was referring to. He prayed his uncle wouldn't choose to do that to him, but he wouldn't be surprised if he did. LJ knew he would deserve it after all the trouble he'd been causing for the past couple of weeks. He nodded and started heading to his room, pausing at Michael's side.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Mike... Really sorry." He whimpered, true remorse setting in once he saw the hurt in his uncle's hazel eyes.

Michael nodded, not hesitating in providing his nephew with his forgiveness. "It's okay, buddy."

LJ nodded gratefully, and flinched slightly when his father's voice boomed, "Thank you. Now, march, young man." Immediately, LJ shuffled into his room, shutting the door gently behind him, and working on cleaning up as best as he could.

Lincoln walked past Michael to the couch and took a seat, patting the cushion next to him, inviting his brother to sit with him. Michael took the invitation, perching himself to the right of his brother. A moment passed before either of them spoke.

"I'm sorry I couldn't handle it better, Linc." Michael said gently, earning himself a smack on the head from his brother. "Hey!" He cried out indignantly, rubbing the spot. "What the hell was that for?"

"Don't apologize for something that you have no business apologizing for, Michael." Lincoln scolded before his anger drained once more. "I'm really sorry for the way LJ's been acting with you. I don't understand why he's been testing you so much lately."

"Probably the same reasons I used to test you when I was a kid." Michael began with a coy smile. "To see if you'd do something about it."

Lincoln smiled slightly, but was not entirely comforted by the thought. "Well, hopefully now he knows that you will not be tolerating his behaviour." He turned to look directly into his younger brother's eyes. "Michael, listen to me very carefully. I am very glad that you finally took the adult stance and tried to show him who's boss. But, buddy, you can't argue with him. If you argue back, he won't take you seriously because once you argue, you aren't acting like the adult. You've got to put your foot down, Mike. Be harsh with him when you have to be. He's gonna push his boundaries, like any other kid, but you've gotta be able to remind him where the line is. You got that?"

Michael nodded, feeling like a kid again for getting reprimanded by his brother. "You're right, Linc... I'll remember that for next time; though hopefully there won't be one..."

Lincoln nodded. "I really hope not. Kid's gotta learn some day." He ran a hand through his close-cropped hair for a moment before moving closer to his brother. He began running his hand through Michael's short hair absently as he thought.

When Michael was LJ's age, he certainly loved to test his boundaries. Sometimes Lincoln had wondered if Michael didn't wake up some mornings with no other thought in mind than to push Lincoln's buttons.

The difference was that Lincoln had been able to handle Michael pretty well; LJ was flying completely off the handle with Michael. Lincoln hoped that his son would try to behave himself now, but he needed to know that Michael could be the adult if he had to be. There was no sense in Lincoln having to tell his boy to respect Michael if Michael did nothing to earn the respect an uncle should have.

He knew it was just because Michael couldn't bring himself to really punish the boy that LJ kept testing him. Michael freshly remembered being fifteen and thinking that Lincoln was the most unfair being in all the land, so he was more sympathetic towards LJ's moods. But he had to learn that LJ couldn't get away with everything that Michael didn't when he was a teenager.

"Michael? Hello? Earth to Michael!"

Michael snapped back into reality at Lincoln's annoyed tone and the slight shove he received. He blinked hard, trying to focus back on his brother. "Sorry... what did you say?"

"I asked you how you were going to handle this."

Michael's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I already handled it. I said he was grounded, and you backed me up. What else am I supposed to do?"

Lincoln hesitated then, but knew he had to lay out all of Michael's options for him. "Listen, little brother. If you think the grounding is all LJ needs as motivation to not cross you, then fine. So be it. But I just want you to know that you have my permission to punish him as you see fit, so don't limit yourself to things you know won't work."

"What do you mean, Linc?" Michael questioned, although he was starting to catch on.

"I mean... If you ever feel like you need to spank him or something, feel free to go ahead and do it. I trust that you won't do it unnecessarily and that you won't hurt him. Just know that you can, and should, do it if a worthy situation ever rises." After a moment of silence, he added, "In my opinion, this would be one of those moments."

Michael nodded slowly, digesting his brother's words. He himself was not unfamiliar with spanking, as he had ended up face-down over Lincoln's knee more times than he'd care to admit -but receiving and administering are two different things. He knew Lincoln was right, though. If he wanted LJ to take him seriously, he had to prove he was being serious and punish him properly; he could let Lincoln do it, but then LJ wouldn't really be learning the right lesson, would he?

Lincoln watched his little brother, practically hearing the gears in his head turning as he pondered his next course of action. He wasn't too fond of spanking his son, was never fond of spanking Michael when he was a boy either, but knew that it was an effective punishment for out-of-control behaviour. He certainly wasn't going to force his brother into doing that to LJ, he didn't really want it done in the first place, but he wouldn't oppose to it either. LJ did deserve it, after all the trouble and fights he'd been starting with Michael for the past couple of weeks, but if Lincoln administered it, LJ would never learn.

"I'll do it."

Lincoln blinked, not sure he heard right. "You will?"

Michael nodded slowly, obviously still lost in thought. "Yes, I will. I'll use my hand, nothing more. But I don't know if I should do this now or after he's done cleaning his room... He might lose motivation if I do it now... Or will he gain some? Lincoln? What do you think?"

Lincoln shook his head and put his hands up in a surrender-like position. "It's up to you, little brother. You're the disciplinarian of the hour. You do whatever you think is best."

Michael nodded, considering his options. After much thought, he opted with getting it over with now -besides, LJ was probably almost done fixing the room anyways. He rose from the couch, Lincoln doing the same.

"I'm gonna go get dinner. You call and let me know when you're done, alright?" Lincoln said, and Michael nodded, clapping his brother on the shoulder. He watched him leave and waited a moment, gathering the strength, before walking over to LJ's room.

He knocked softly on the half-open door and pushed his way inside gently. He stood back and looked around at the bedroom appraisingly. It was spotless.

"Nice job, LJ. See, it didn't even take long. It wasn't so hard now, was it?" He teased, a slight chastising tone to his voice.

LJ ducked his head. "No, it wasn't. Uncle Mike, I'm sorry..."

"I know, LJ, buddy. I know." Michael walked into the room fully, closing the door all the way, before going over to sit on his nephew's bed. He gestured LJ over to him, indicating that he ought to sit next to him on the bed. "Listen, LJ. I spoke with your dad and... we agreed that your attitude towards me these past couple of weeks can't -and won't -go unpunished." He heard LJ suck in a sharp breath, but continued before he could be interrupted.

"Now, listen. I don't like the way you've been talking back, starting fights, deliberately disobeying me -I don't appreciate any of that. You know it's wrong, and you know that if it would have been your dad you were treating that way, he would have corrected the problem a long ass time ago." Michael took a deep breath. "Well, I need you to know that I'm not going to stand for it any longer, LJ. I'm your uncle and you need to show me some respect. You know I'm usually pretty easy on you and we can always have a good time, but I'm afraid that's gonna have to stop for a while until you learn to behave when you're under my care.

"The grounding is for defying me today in regards to your room and the lie you tried to tell your father about me. I'll be spanking you for your general disrespectful behaviour. I don't want to, but I will if I have to, and obviously I have to do this if you're going to learn to respect me. I hope you learn from this, LJ."

LJ nodded, the tears welling up in his eyes once more. He never, in his fifteen years of life, thought he'd be about to face a spanking from his Uncle Mike. But hey, there's a first time for everything, right?

He understood clearly why Michael felt the need to go through with this particular punishment, but self-preservation kicked in and LJ decided he could still try to talk him out of it.

Turning his big puppy eyes on his uncle, LJ pleaded his case. "Uncle Mike, please don't. I've already said I'm sorry, and I really do mean it. You don't have to spank me. I'll behave, I really will." His frustration grew when Michael merely shook his head in the negative, not willing to play into his nephew's hands again. LJ rose from the bed angrily and glared at Michael. "You have no right! You -"

"I have every right, LJ." Michael replied, his voice tinged with an eerie calm as he stayed perfectly still on the bed. "You're fifteen years old, and you're my nephew. That's enough for me to have the right."

LJ backed away further. "This isn't fair! I've already apologized, I said I'll listen to you. Why can't that be enough?!"

"Because, LJ, if I could take your word for it then you wouldn't be trying to argue your way out of the punishment. Pleading your case like you were before? Yeah, of course. I understand that, it's normal. But this?" Michael shook his head. "This just proves to me that you haven't learned a thing and we're gonna end up right back in square one unless you do learn who's in charge. Now, I'm not playing around anymore, LJ. Come here. Let's get this over with."

"No." LJ refused once more, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest and backing away another few steps. Michael forced himself to keep his cool and not stoop to the kid's level. Instead, in a no-nonsense tone, he made a threat he prayed he wouldn't be forced to carry out.

"If you're not by my side by the count of five, LJ, I'm taking off my belt. You understand me? One."

LJ's eyes widened as he realized he wouldn't be winning this time. He tried judging how serious the threat was, but Michael's face was unreadable. LJ had no idea if his uncle would take a belt to him or not, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"Three... Four..."

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" LJ huffed, rushing to his uncle's side before he could finish the countdown. Michael breathed an internal sigh of relief and face his nephew.

"Pants down, LJ."

"What?!" LJ squeaked. "No way, man, no freaking way -"

"Lincoln Burrows Jr, if I have to tell you one more time..." Michael bellowed sternly, letting the threat hang in the air. He felt some satisfaction as LJ gulped and reluctantly lowered his pants to his ankles. Determining that he would leave the boy's boxers in place, he grabbed LJ's wrist and tugged him forward, adjusting him over his lap quickly before the boy could make any more protests.

LJ squirmed slightly in Michael's grasp, his heart dropping to his stomach as he was flipped over his uncle's knee. He was incredibly nervous, and, honestly, a little scared. He knew Michael wasn't going to hurt him, but it was the first time he'd ever been in this position with him and he wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, he'd been spanked by his dad before, but this wasn't his dad.

Once Michael had LJ settled the way he wanted him, he wrapped his left arm around the boy's waist, to secure him, restrain him, and comfort him all at once. Then, he looked down at the backside presented before him and raised his hand, feeling the boy tense over his knees.

 **To be continued... Hehehe.**


	2. Chapter 2

"LJ... Kiddo, I need you to relax."

LJ slowly opened his eyes, relieved when, instead of feeling a hand smacking down on his behind, he felt a hand caressing his back softly. He bit his lip, knowing Michael said something but was unable to figure out what it was.

"LJ, did you hear me? I need you to relax. It'll only hurt more with your body all tense, and it'll increase your chances of bruising." Michael repeated, running his left hand comfortingly along LJ's back, his right hand resting softly on the boy's thigh. He waited for LJ to obey him, but it never happened. "LJ?"

"I can't relax, Uncle Mike!" LJ ground out in frustration. "How the hell do you expect me to be able to relax when I'm upended over your knee waiting to get my ass handed to me by you for the first time? 'Cause if you've got a way, let me know!" He snapped angrily.

Michael grinded his jaw, biting back an angry retort. He tried a different method. "Fine, you wanna stay tense and get bruised? Your choice. We're starting then." He raised his hand high and started to swing it down.

"NO! Wait!" LJ screeched and Michael stopped his hand inches above LJ's rear. The boy breathed a shaky sigh of relief when he felt his uncle put his hand back down. "I'm sorry, okay? I just -I'm just nervous. I'm sorry."

Michael nodded, though he knew LJ couldn't exactly see him. "I know, bud. Just try to relax your body so things can go smoother. Come on, take a deep breath. This ain't your first rodeo, kiddo."

LJ snorted at that. "Uncle Mike, where did you learn that expression? We're not country."

"It's a useful expression nonetheless." Michael retorted, a small smile playing on his lips before he grew serious once more. "You alright?"

LJ hesitated a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

Michael didn't know if he believed him entirely or not. "You sure? You're trembling a little. Are you cold?"

LJ let out a disbelieving chuckle. Michael was making small talk while he had LJ draped over his lap. He figured he should just roll with it, maybe make Michael feel guilty enough, or at least get him distracted enough, that he won't get spanked.

"Yeah, a little. Being without pants really does have that effect, you know."

"Right..." Michael replied somewhat awkwardly. He felt terrible. He didn't really want to do this. But he couldn't just call it off... could he?

He wished Lincoln were here.

"LJ, you know I don't really want to do this, don't you?"

LJ snorted. "Are you gonna give me the whole 'this is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you' speech? 'Cause I don't really think that's true."

Michael smiled softly, remembering how he'd said something similar to Lincoln once when his brother tried pulling that bullshit on him. Now, he realized that it really did hurt the disciplinarian more. "Oh, trust me. It's true. It will hurt me much more than it'll hurt you. Just, you know, not in the same place."

"Ha ha. Real funny, Uncle Mike." LJ rolled his eyes, not very amused. He was impressed, however, at his uncle's attempt at humor to make him feel better. Or maybe he was just trying to make himself feel better?

LJ figured that this was his chance, now that Michael seemed to be in a considerably better mood. "Uncle Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"...Can I get up?"

Michael froze upon hearing LJ's daring question and he felt his anger start to boil once more, though he forced it down. There was no way he was going to do any punishing while angry.

"No, Lincoln." He replied, noticing LJ's slight flinch at being called by his actual name. "You cannot get up yet. I can't believe you're trying to play me into letting you get away without your punishment." He scoffed.

LJ ducked his head lower, feeling embarrassed. "I..."

"No, don't even bother. Honestly, LJ..." Michael shook his head, unable to help the disappointment that flowed through him at the moment. "Let's get one thing straight here, young man. There's not going to be any bargaining your way out of this one. I don't like being the bad guy, you know that, but it looks like I'm gonna have to be much more often."

"No, Uncle Mike. That's not necessary, I promise." LJ said hurriedly, desperately hoping he hadn't ruined everything with his uncle. "I'm sorry, honest. I just... I don't wanna get punished, you know? I figured it was worth a shot..."

"Because you always get your way with me, is that it?" Michael interrupted haughtily. LJ rushed to explain.

"No, no, no! It's not like that, I swear!" He denied quickly, hating himself for making the situation worst.

"Of course not."

"No, really!" LJ whimpered. "Please don't be angry with me, I didn't mean it that way."

Michael sighed, running his hand down LJ's back again, both to comfort the kid and give himself something to do. "Alright, kiddo, alright. I'm not angry."

They remained silent for a long moment, both taking the time to calm themselves down before proceeding. Michael was the first to speak up.

"I'm ready to be done with this, LJ. How about you?"

"I'm very ready to be done, Uncle Mike." LJ replied quickly, nodding vehemently. He dared not hope this revelation meant he wasn't going to get punished. Michael sensed what LJ was thinking about and decided to clarify.

"Let me rephrase. You ready to get started?"

"Oh..." LJ answered, his mood becoming blue and resigned once more. "Not really, no."

"Are you not ready because you need a moment to calm down and gather your thoughts, or you're not ready because you'll never be ready for a spanking?" Michael asked knowingly.

LJ looked surprised for a moment at his uncle's receptiveness, but then he remembered that Uncle Mike had probably answered the same question before. "The second one." He mumbled.

Michael nodded. "I figured." He continued rubbing LJ's back for another moment, pleased when the tension finally ebbed away. He decided he might as well begin already or else he really was gonna lose his nerve. "I'm gonna start now, LJ, okay?" He waited for LJ's nod before raising his hand high, deeply relieved that his nephew's body didn't tense up the way it had before.

Michael took a deep breath, steeling himself, and brought his hand down sharply, the sound resonating loudly through the bedroom. He winced internally at the flinch and soft yelp LJ emitted, but forced himself to keep going. With a heavy heart, he raised his hand again and again, raining down hard swats all over his nephew's rump, determined to not have to make a repeat of this particular lesson.

"Ow, ow! Uncle Mike, please!" LJ whimpered, starting to squirm slightly, his backside burning. "I'm sorry!"

For a while, Michael didn't say anything; he merely spanked. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep going, especially with the way LJ was carrying on, but he knew that if he faltered, the whole situation would have just been a waste of both their times. If he gave in, he'd just further prove that, not only did LJ have Michael wrapped around his little finger, but that Michael couldn't handle the full responsibility of taking care of LJ.

Being the cool, fun uncle always sounded way better to Michael, but he knew he couldn't be that way all the time. He just never thought LJ would get this out of hand. Sure, there were times when Michael thought he was going to go crazy with the boy but he figured a punishment was always too harsh, too unfair. He didn't want LJ to ever be angry with him, so he always gave the kid what he wanted.

Big mistake. All he did was turn his nephew into an insufferable brat whenever he didn't get his way. Michael thought of when he himself was LJ's age, and how sometimes he hated Lincoln with every fiber of his being for being so unfair with him. Now, as an adult, he realized that Linc was never truly unfair. He just knew how to put his foot down, which is probably why LJ isn't completely ill-mannered.

Michael shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on the task at hand, lest he accidently hurt his nephew. How long had he been spanking him? He didn't think it'd been that long, but it had probably been long enough for him to start lecturing. He pondered that thought for a moment, wondering if he should deliver a speech or make it brief.

He decided he'd do what Lincoln always did to him, and let LJ explain why he was in this position rather than explain it to him. That would make sure that the kid wouldn't get any misconceptions about the situation.

"I hope you understand, LJ, why I'm doing this. Do you?" Michael began, not pausing in the spanking.

For a guy who'd never spanked anyone before, LJ thought, Michael sure knew how to deliver.

"I do understand, Uncle Mike, I understand clearly. Please stop." He practically begged, not very good at dealing with pain. LJ didn't know if it was possible, but he thought the swats were getting sharper.

"Tell me why I'm spanking you, then."

LJ groaned. "I've been -ow! -a real brat lately. Disrespectful... Ohhh, ow... Rude... Ouch!"

Michael nodded. "Good. Then you know what kind of behaviour I don't wanna have to deal with again, right?"

"Yessir!" LJ screeched frantically as Michael landed a barrage of hard swats to his sensitive undercurve. "Yeowch!"

"I'm holding you to this, LJ. I don't want to have to do this again." Michael lectured with a calmness he didn't feel. He swatted the back of his nephew's thighs as his kicking got out of control. "Quit doing that."

"OW!" LJ sobbed, stilling his legs for the most part, but throwing his hand back instead. Michael deftly caught it and pinned it to the boy's lower back, not once pausing. He could feel the heat coming from beneath LJ's boxers, could see the redness peeking out. He knew he had to stop soon, but not quite yet.

In the back of Michael's mind, he wondered if the neighbors were getting concerned from hearing all the screaming LJ was doing, but he supposed they could figure out what was going on. Hopefully.

"Uncle Mike, I'll be good! I'll never disrespect you again! I won't, I won't, I won't!" LJ pleaded, his voice thick with tears. This time, Michael didn't answer him. Smack after smack continued to rain down on the teen's defenseless backside, urging him to squirm away; however, the fight was nearly entirely drained from the young boy's body.

In reality, the punishment hadn't lasted long but it hadn't been an easy one either.

"Nearly done, LJ..." Michael announced, semi-warily, thinking that he could be reciting the pledge of allegiance and LJ wouldn't even notice from how distressed and how loud he was crying. Michael didn't think he could bear it for much longer.

Luckily for him, LJ gave in nearly at the same time that Michael decided he couldn't -or maybe wouldn't? -go any further. Sobbing loudly, the teenager finally went limp over his uncle's knees, mumbling incoherent apologies.

With one last resounding smack, Michael ceased his attack on LJ's flaming backside. He released LJ's hand and started rubbing the boy's back soothingly. "It's okay, LJ... Calm down, buddy, you're alright..."

After a couple of moments of noticing that LJ's cries didn't seem to be reducing, Michael began growing worried. "LJ, kiddo. Calm down, you're going to make yourself sick." He warned, but it seemed that the boy just continued to bawl harder. On the verge of panicking, Michael lifted LJ up from his knees and accommodated him to sit on his lap. He grabbed hold of the boy and held him close, hugging him tightly and running his fingers through his hair comfortingly.

"Shh, buddy, it's okay... Please stop crying, LJ... Please don't cry..." Michael felt hot tears pricking his own eyes as his chest felt constricted with fear. "I'm sorry, buddy, I'm sorry... So sorry..." He rocked LJ against his chest, crying silent tears as he waited for his nephew to calm down, hoping he hadn't gone too far.


	3. Chapter 3

After what felt like an eternity, LJ's cries were reduced to the occasional sniffle. Hot tears continued rolling down Michael's cheeks, as he was unable to shake off the guilt he felt at being the source of LJ's pain. He continued holding his nephew as close as possible until the boy decided to speak up.

"Uncle Mike?" His voice was thin and raspy, the fact that he'd been crying evident in his voice. He sounded weak and very tired, at least to Michael's attentive ears.

"Yeah, buddy?" He replied, attempting to keep the tears from his own voice and hoping he'd succeeded. "How are you feeling?"

Instead of answering the question, LJ remained silent for another moment. Finally, he pushed away slightly from Michael, breaking out of the embrace but not quite getting off of his lap just yet. "Where's my dad?" He questioned, taking on an almost whining tone.

Michael frowned, discreetly wiping a tear from his eye. "He went out to get us dinner -"

"Tell him to come back."

"LJ -"

"Now, Uncle Mike!" LJ demanded. Michael tried giving him his best stern glare.

"LJ, don't talk to me like that."

LJ whined at the back of his throat. He felt like he was going to cry again. "I just want my dad... Please, I want my dad to come back..."

Michael nodded. "Okay, okay. I'll call your dad, don't worry. He'll be back real soon. Alright? Come here." He tried hugging LJ again, but this time, the kid completely pulled himself free of his uncle's grasp, taking a couple of steps back as he stood up.

"No, leave me alone. I don't want you, I want my dad... Dad, I want my dad..." LJ mumbled, sounding delirious, as he circled the bed and lay on it, face-down of course. Michael tried to keep the hurt out of his voice as he continued fretting over LJ.

"Is there anything you want while you wait for your dad, kiddo?"

"I want you to go away." LJ's muffled voice came from the pillow his face was buried in. Michael chose to ignore the comment.

"Do you want some water or something? I'll bring you some, you must be thirsty..."

"I'm not thirsty."

"LJ, you've gotta drink some. You cried a lot, I don't want you to get dehydrated..."

LJ finally rose from his pillow. He got up on his knees and turned to glower at his uncle. "I said I didn't want any! Please, go away. I don't want you here. I want my dad!" He bellowed, launching himself back onto the bed.

Michael didn't know what to do next. He knew he probably shouldn't let the kid talk to him like that, but what was Michael supposed to do? Spank him again? Ground him more? Yell at him? He couldn't bring himself to do any of those, even if his life depended on it.

So, for now, Michael just obeyed his nephew's wishes and left the room. As he rose from the bed, he reached out to pat LJ's head, but the kid violently flinched away from his touch. Emotionally wounded, Michael rushed out into the living room and fished out his cell phone, dialing his brother's phone number as quickly as he could.

As he waited for Lincoln to answer the phone, Michael began over-thinking the situation with LJ, blaming himself thrice over and hating himself more than ever, especially due to the kid's hostile reaction. Michael wrapped his free arm tightly around his torso in a self-hug, attempting to provide himself with some much needed comfort, though it wasn't working as well as he'd originally hoped.

Nothing seemed to be working out the way he'd planned lately.

Just before the call would have gone to voicemail, Lincoln's voice rang through the other end of the phone's line. "Michael?"

"Linc..." Michael answered, hating the way his voice shook. Lincoln immediately detected the slight tremor in his brother's voice and grew concerned.

"Michael, what's wrong? What happened?" He questioned, his heart beating a million miles an hour. There was silence on his brother's end of the line for a moment. He ventured out once more. "Michael?"

"LJ wants you to come home, Linc. Immediately."

"Good thing I've been parked downstairs waiting for your call then." Lincoln mumbled, getting out of the car, grabbing the bag of food in his free hand, and heading into the apartment building. "Did something happen?"

"I don't -I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You were there, Michael!"

"I know that, but I... I just..." Michael shook his head, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. "He wouldn't stop crying and then when he did, he told me to go away, that he wanted you. He wouldn't even let me touch him." He paused for a second, letting Lincoln absorb the information. When he spoke again, his voice cracked. "I'm scared, Linc. What if I hurt him? I can't -I..."

"Michael." Michael glanced up, taking note that Lincoln's voice no longer came from the other end of the phone but rather from the open front door of the apartment. Michael felt his legs turn to jelly and he worried he wouldn't be able to stand on his own for much longer, so he didn't dare move. He slowly put his phone down and stood dumbly, staring, as his older brother set the food down and walked until he was standing directly in front of Michael.

"Mike... Look at me, Michael." Lincoln commanded, waiting for his brother to obey him. "I'm positive that you did nothing wrong, okay? Just sit tight, I'm going to go see LJ, figure out what's wrong with him, okay? Just wait here."

Michael nodded absently, moving only to grab Lincoln's arm as the older man brushed past him. "Get LJ some water or else he'll get dehydrated. I would have done it myself but he wouldn't take it from me..."

Lincoln nodded and headed to the kitchen, quickly filling a glass with cold water and made his way to LJ's room.

"LJ?" He called as he pushed open the door. His heart broke at the sight of his son lying on the bed, tear-tracks on his cheeks, his pants kicked off into some corner of the room. The closer he got, the more he could see the redness of his son's backside peeking out from under the boxers. Michael evidently hadn't held back, and though it nearly killed Lincoln to see his son in pain, he was almost pleased. If Michael hadn't been thorough, the lesson would likely be repeated soon and Lincoln didn't know if his little brother would be able to go through with that for a second time.

"Dad?" LJ croaked, turning over on his side. He almost cried again, from relief this time, when he saw his father. "Dad!" He jumped up from the bed and leaped to his feet, hug-attacking his father immediately. Lincoln barely had time to catch LJ and keep the glass from falling to the ground, but he managed to do both. He set the water on the bedside table and hobbled over to sit on the bed, pulling his son onto his lap and holding him close.

For a long while, neither said anything. They merely sat together, his dad's presence being enough to provide LJ with the comfort he sought out. Lincoln, on the other hand, was only growing more and more concerned by the minute.

"LJ, this is a really stupid question, but I feel obligated to ask by the way you're carrying on. Are you hurt?"

With a second's hesitation that LJ hoped his dad hadn't sensed, LJ replied with a simple "Nope."

Lincoln did sense the hesitation, however. "What's wrong? Look at me, LJ. What's wrong?"

LJ looked up at his father with wide eyes. "Nothing, Dad. I just... I really needed you."

"Did Michael not hug you when it was over?" Lincoln questioned stupidly, knowing the answer before he asked it, but figuring he needed to ask just about anything in order to figure out what LJ's problem was.

"No, yeah. I mean, he did. But..." LJ shrugged, almost guiltily. "I don't know. I didn't want his hugs. I wanted yours."

"Why?"

"Why?" LJ's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean why? Because you're my dad. That's why."

Lincoln bit his lip, thoroughly thinking out his next words. "LJ, that's not what I meant. Why specifically me? Why kick your uncle out of your room and deny his comfort, specifically requesting for mine, when you had his right here at your disposal?"

"Oh... Well..." LJ sighed, shifting around on his dad's knee slightly. "I don't know, Dad. Maybe because I'm used to your comfort after a spanking, and not his? I don't know."

Lincoln looked hard at his son, making the boy squirm somewhat. "I understand, son. But do you think the way you treated Michael was fair?"

LJ averted his gaze elsewhere. "No. No, I don't. I know I shouldn't have treated him the way I did. I'll apologize, I promise."

Lincoln sighed. "LJ, listen to me." He shifted on the bed a little to better accommodate himself and be able to look his son directly in the eyes. "An apology won't always fix everything. You and your uncle both experienced something new here together today and it had a big impact on the both of you. The hurt, anger, and embarrassment you felt? Michael knows you felt it. He felt hurt too, though, and very guilty. He hated doing that, LJ, same way I hate doing it and you hate receiving it. Did you ever stop to think that the comfort Michael was trying to provide you with was, not only for your benefit, but also for his? By accepting his comfort, he knew that you didn't hate him -"

"I could never hate Uncle Mike!" LJ protested, but was interrupted before he could elaborate any further.

"I know, son, I know. But after something like this, especially for the first time, the disciplinarian tends to believe they're hated. Michael probably thought so when you pushed him away, or he at least thought that you were angry with him. The fact that he couldn't get you to stop crying at first affected him a lot too, making him believe he had hurt you. He needed to know you were okay so that he could be okay, buddy. Didn't you think about that?"

"No, I... I didn't, Dad." LJ mumbled, feeling sick to his stomach. He never knew how badly the person on the delivering end of a spanking could get affected. "I need to see Uncle Mike. Where is he?"

"He's in the living room. You'll be able to see him in a moment, just hang on a second first. Come here, drink this." Lincoln leaned back, grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand, and offered it to LJ. He frowned when the boy shook his head in the negative. "LJ, take the water."

"But, Dad. I don't want it, I'm not thirsty." He whined.

Lincoln shook his own head. "I didn't ask. I know that Michael tried offering you some and you blew him off, but that won't work with me. If you cried as much as Michael said you did, then you'll need to drink some water unless you want to get dehydrated. Now, let's go, drink up. Come on."

LJ continued to gripe, turning his body away from the water but Lincoln did not give in. He patiently waited for his son to take the glass, not quite prepared when his son tried to bolt.

"Hey!" He hollered, grabbing the boy around the waist and yanking him back down onto his lap. "You are not moving from here until you drink at least half of this glass, you understand me?"

LJ peered up at his dad through his eyelashes, pleading with his big doe eyes. Lincoln stared him down until, finally, LJ took the glass and drained the half he was ordered to drink. As soon as he was done, he placed the glass right back on the nightstand and glared at his father. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Lincoln replied dryly, rising from the bed, bringing the kid up as well. He was about to let LJ go find Michael, when he thought he heard an unmistakable sound coming from the living room. He recognized it and thought it better to have LJ wait a while. "I'll be back in a bit, kiddo. Stay here, alright? I'll let you know when you can come out and talk to your uncle."

"But -"

"Don't argue with me." Lincoln warned, the sternness of his voice contradicted by the gentleness of his actions. He bent to kiss LJ's forehead, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "You need a haircut, kid. Maybe tomorrow we'll get that done. Wait here, okay?" He offered his kid a small smile before heading out of the bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind him. LJ flopped back onto his bed, feeling considerably better than he had a few minutes ago, minus the added weight of the guilt he felt for being so short with his uncle.

Lincoln entered the living room, not entirely surprised to see Michael hunched over on the couch, bawling near silent tears. Soft, broken whimpers could be heard coming from the man though it was obvious that he was trying to muffle the sounds as much as he could.

"Oh, Michael..." Lincoln murmured, making his way over to sit next to his younger brother on the couch. He didn't hesitate to pull the younger man into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Hey, it's okay... It's okay, everything's fine..."

Michael, for once, didn't struggle against his brother's embrace. Instead, he buried his face in Lincoln's shoulder and cried like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I hurt him, he hates me. I'm so sorry..." He gasped, the sobs racking his body harshly. Lincoln couldn't stand it. He pulled back a little, trying to get Michael to look him in the eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. Michael, look at me. Calm down, little brother, calm down. I need you to breathe, Mike. Breathe. That's it... Breathe." He commanded softly, wiping the tears gently from his brother's face. He was pleased to find that, within a few short moments, Michael had calmed down considerably. It was enough for Lincoln to know that he would be heard and -hopefully -understood when he spoke to him.

"Listen, Mike. You don't have anything to apologize for, okay? You didn't hurt LJ in the least bit, and he doesn't hate you. Are you listening to me?" He shook Michael a little, attempting to get the man's attention redirected back to him. Michael shook his head.

"He hates me, Lincoln, he hates me... He hates me, God he hates me..." Michael continued repeating that as his new mantra. Lincoln tried again.

"Michael, no he doesn't. I just spoke to LJ and he stated very clearly that he does not hate you. He's not even angry. He feels terrible for pushing you away, he didn't really mean to. Michael, listen to me, will ya? You haven't done anything wrong, so don't beat yourself up over nothing."

Michael sniffled, having a hard time accepting his brother's words but daring to hope that they were true. "Is he okay? How is he? He didn't start crying again did he? God, what if I hit him too hard? Do you think that's why he cried so much? I hit him too hard... Or maybe I hit him past his breaking point... I hurt him, didn't I?"

Lincoln felt incredibly tempted to literally slap some sense into his brother. Instead, he gripped Michael tightly by his arms and got in his face. "This is the last time I'll say it, because if I have to say it again, I'll beat the shit out of you. You did not hurt LJ. He always cries a lot, Michael. Granted, I don't know the full extent of how much he cried today, but you have to remember that he was scared -"

"Scared of me?"

"No." Lincoln growled. "Stop. Not scared of you. Scared of a new experience. He's never been punished before by you, Michael, at least not this way. He was nervous and sore, so he cried a little more than usual. It's okay, Mike. Trust me on this, okay?"

Michael bit his lip, looking at his brother doubtfully. "Are you sure, Linc? Because I -"

Lincoln released one of Michael's arms and used his now free hand to smack his brother upside the head. "I'm positive. You trust me?" Michael nodded, rubbing his head. "Good. Don't move, I'm gonna get you some water." Lincoln rose from the couch.

"I don't want any water, Linc." Michael groaned, causing Lincoln to roll his eyes.

"You and LJ are exactly alike, you know that? Exactly alike." He muttered, amused. He quickly filled a second glass of water and brought it to Michael, who immediately refused it once again. "Michael, come on. Take the water." He waited, but to no avail. He cracked a small smile, and teasingly said, "Drink it or I'll spank you, young man."

That, at least, made Michael chuckle a little. "Not funny."

Lincoln shrugged. "You laughed. But seriously, take the water or I will beat your ass into oblivion."

Michael rolled his eyes and scoffed, but decided it was in his best interest to drink the water. "I'm a grown man, Linc."

"You're also still my little brother. By default, I have power over you and permission to use any force necessary." Lincoln quipped, smiling sweetly. Michael laughed, returning the now empty glass.

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say."

Lincoln watched Michael for a moment before deciding it'd be best to let LJ come out and talk to him by now. He went to the kid's room and opened the door without knocking, stuck his head in, and called for the boy to head to the living room. LJ did so promptly, practically running Lincoln over to get to where Michael was.

"Uncle Mike?" LJ ventured when he saw his sad uncle sitting on the couch. He didn't give Michael any time to respond before he launched himself at him, enveloping the man in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry! My dad said you think I hate you, but I don't, I could never. I'm so sorry I pushed you away, I -"

"LJ, LJ, LJ! Take it easy, buddy." Michael laughed, hugging his nephew snugly. "It's okay, really. Your dad and I had a conversation of our own, don't worry." He rubbed the spot on his head where Lincoln had hit him, making LJ laugh at the implication.

"Yeah, okay. Well, I had to say it anyways."

Michael smiled at his nephew, simply watching him for a moment. "I love you, kid. You know that, don'tcha?"

LJ nodded. "I know. I love you too."

Lincoln came and sat next to them on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Well, I'm glad that's settled. We all love each other, we're all tired, and we should all just take it easy for a while, am I right?"

Michael and LJ laughed, agreeing. LJ peeked at Michael from the corner of his eye. "You know, I think ice cream and a movie would make us all feel better..."

Michael was about to agree when he felt his arm get smacked. He glanced over to see Lincoln giving him a hard look, and Michael remembered that LJ was supposed to be grounded. He sighed.

"Ice cream, sure. No movies. You're grounded, remember?" He said to LJ with a firmness he didn't exactly feel. He only hoped it was enough for the kid to get the hint. LJ glanced down at the floor and lifted his shoulder in a half shrug.

"It was worth a shot..."

"'Cause you always get your way with me, is that it?" Michael countered, teasingly this time. LJ sensed the playfulness in his uncle's voice and took the bait.

"Not always. But yeah, usually." He laughed.

"Ha ha. So funny." Michael retorted, shoving LJ good-naturedly. Lincoln watched as the banter between his brother and son continued, happy that they were back to getting along.

He was confident LJ would remember his lesson on his respect for a long time to come.


End file.
